Railway-signal



(No Model.)

W. P. HALL. RAILWAY SIGNAL.

Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

A fro NE Ys.

UNITED STATES \VILLIAM P. HALL, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE HALL SIGNAL COMPANY, OF MAINE.

RAILWAY-SIG NAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,236, dated March 2,1897.

Application filed November 28, 1892. Renewed July 28, 1896. Serial No.600,856- (No model.)

To all whom it Wmy concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM P. HALL, of Greenwich, in the county ofFairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railway-Signals, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart hereof.

My invention relates to railroad visual signals and it has for itsobject to provide a signal that may be operated with a small expenditureof power and will be distinctly visible by dayand night and Whoseoperation maybe effected electrically and automatically if desired.

My invention consists in the construction hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 is a rear View of the signaling apparatus with the case partlybroken away, showing the day-signal at danger and the nightdanger-signal in its signaling position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detachedView of the mechanism with the signals'in the same position. Fig. 3 is aview similar to Fig. 1, with the several signal-disks at clear. Fig. 4is a vertical transverse sectional elevation of the apparatus andinclosi-ng case. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the armature and oneof the helices of the electromagnet, and Fig. 7 a detail showingconstruction of pole of magnet.

A represents a plate, which may be the front of a casing A, as shown inthe drawings, and carried by a suitable support. This plate is providedwith two apertures a a. When the plate A is part of the casing, thecasing has an aperture (1 registering with aperture a, and preferably anaperture a registering with the aperture (1. Behind the plate A orwithin the casing are three signaldisks S, R, and G, mounted to turnupon an axis and operated by any suitable motor, so that the disk S maymove into and out of register with the aperture a and the disks R and Gmove alternately into and out of register with the aperture a. When thedisk S registers with aperture a, one of the disks R and G, as R,registers with the aperture a, and when the disk S is out of registerwith aperture a the other disk, as G, registers with aperture a. Thedisk S is intended, as herein shown, for a day-signal disk, and if it isdesigned that it shall indicate danger it will ordinarily be suitablycolored, as, for example, red, being in this case preferably opaque orseiniopaque, so as to reflect sunlight. The disks Rand Gare intended, asherein shown, for night-signal disks, and for this purpose one or bothof them should be translucent,

so as to transmit and color a beam of light from a lantern, as Z,arranged behind the apertures a (F. If both of the disks R and G aretranslucent, they would ordinarily be made of differently-colored glass,so that different colors would appear at the aperture a, one for dangerand the other for safety. Instead of having both disks R and Gtranslucent one of them might be opaque, in which case the opaque diskwould cut off the light from the lantern Z when registering with theaperture a.-

While the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings contemplatestwo night-signal disks and one day-disk, it is of course to beunderstood that the invention includes the reverse of this arrangementviz., two day-disks and one night-disk.

In the daytime, when the signal-disk S is away from the aperture a, adisk of white sunlight is visible at this aperture to indicate that thetrack is clear. When the disk is moved before the aperture to indicatedanger, a colored disk is visible at the aperture surrounded by'anannulus of white sunlight. If the plate A is, as shown in the drawings,the front of the casing A, then I provide an aperture a in the back ofthe casing directly behind the aperture a. In this latter instance theapertures a and a are preferably covered by a plate of glass, and whenthe sig nal-disk S is. at danger the annulus of white sunlight willstill be visible around the disk.

Referring now more specifically to the present embodiment of theinvention, the actuating mechanism is preferably constructed as follows:The poles at of the electromagnets D D are prolonged laterally, as shownparticularly in Figs. 4 and 5, so as to be embraced by wings e' e,curved upon the arc of a circle from the same radius, but in oppositedirections, and extending from the ends of a bar of soft iron formingthe body of the armature E. This armature is formed in one with ormounted upon the side of a rotary plate E, which is pivoted centrally(slightly below the electromagnets) between the arms f f of a bracket F,carrying the magnets D, and which bracket is in turn carried by andadapted to be adjusted lengthwise in a grooved bracket F, fastened tothe inner face of the front board of the case A. The arm f of thebracket F has a pin f projecting into a curved slot 6 in the plate E'tolimit its rotary movement and the consequent travel of the disks S, R,and Gr. The wings e e of the armature are each made up of two curvedplates or arms placed a sufficient distance apart to enable them tostraddle or embrace the prolon gated poles d of the magnets, so thatwhile free to move thereupon a full and efficient contact is made by thearmature with said poles when the magnets are energized, and one arm ofeach wing is preferably longer than its companion, so as to alwaysremain in close proximity to the poles d when the electromagnets aredemagnetized, so as to be easily attracted when the circuit is made andthus economizing battery-power in operating the signal. (Seeparticularly Figs. 2 and 5.)

e is a connecting pin or brace between the arms of each wing near theirouter ends, set to one side,so as to allow the armature to move past thepoles to the full end of its throw.

As seen in Figs. 6 and 7, I introduce a spring-pin 6 into a suitablecavity a formed in the prolongated pole cl of the magnet, to afford ayielding impact for the armature when the latter is attracted by theenergizing of the magnet, and thus prevent the wear and tear consequentupon the jarring of the parts as heretofore arranged.

The several signal-disks are rigidly connected to the rotary plate E,the day-signal disk S being closely connected by the piece I), and thetwo night-signal disks R and G are mounted upon the extremities of rods7 and g, extending outward from the rotary plate, the disks S and Rbeing on directly opposite sides of the center and the rod of the disk Gstanding out at right angles thereto, its opposite being acounterbalance-rod H, having an adjustable counterweight h near itsextremity. A strap or bar h, curved to properly avoid the bracket F,connects this counterbalance-rod with the rotary plate E.

The day-signal disk S is usually of red silk stretched upon a light rim,but the night-signal disks R and G should be of colored glass or othertransparent or semitransparent material, through which the rays of alantern Z, mounted in proximity to or upon the ease in line with theopening aiwillbe projected when said lantern is lighted after dark andwhen either of said sign al-disks is in position at the aperture (1.. Asthe night-signal disk R serves to indicate danger, it is usually coloredred, and, as the other night-signal disk G is to indicate clear, it isusually colored blue, but

any other suitable color may be used. An electric light may be used inplace of the ordinary lantern. 7

Both of the apertures a, a, a and a are covered, preferably, with plainglass to protect the internal mechanism from injury by rain and dust.

The operation of the above-described compound-signal device will bereadily understood from the foregoing by those skilled in the art, but Imay further explain that the concurrent movement of the threesignaldisks and their arrangement in connection with the one armatureare such that the disks S and R are exposed at the apertures in the casesimultaneously when danger is to be indicated, one or other of thembeing consid ered as efieetive, according to whether it is daylight ordark, and upon the retirement of these within the case the aperture a ofthe day-signal is left clear, but the aperture a is covered by thecolored disk G, which is effective as positively indicating clear atnighttime.

While the preferred arrangement of cansing the signal-disks to go todanger by gravity upon the demagnetization of the electromagnets and togo to clear upon the magnets being energized is herein described andillustrated in the drawings, it will be apparent that my improvedcompound day and night signal may be operated in the reverse way andthat the details of construction and arrangement of mechanism may bevaried without departing from the principle or sacrificing theadvantages of my invention.

As above stated, the day-signal aperture a is of greater diameter thanthe signal disclosed at said aperture, so as to leave an open space 1)between the rim of the disk and the edge of the aperture or face properof the case A, this arrangement having been found highly serviceable inenabling engineers of approaching trains to more clearly discern thesignal displayed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,--

1. In a railway-signal, the combination of a casing having tworegistering apertures, one in the front and one in the back of thecasing for a day-signal and having a third aperture in the front for anight-signal, a daysignal disk within said casing movable before andaway from its apertures and mounted upon a shaft, with two or morenight-signal disks mounted upon the same shaft and adapted to be madevisible at night through said third aperture, substantially as setforth.

2. In a railway-signal, the combination with an inclosing casing havingtwo apertures in the face thereof, one for a day and one for a nightsignal, a danger day-signal disk of col ored material and a night signaldisk of translucent material mounted upon a common shaft and arranged toconcurrently indicate danger when appearing at said apertures, asupplementary night-signal disk made of IIO translucent material mountedupon the said shaft and adapted to indicate clear at the night-signalaperture concurrently with the clearing of said danger signal, armaturesmounted upon the said shaft and an electromagnet adapted to revolve sucharmatures and thus shift the signals, with means for illuminating saidnight-signals, substantially as set forth.

3. In a railway-signal, the combination of a casing provided with tworegistering apertures in front and back for a day-signal and an aperturein front for a night-signal, a daysignal disk and two or more nightsignal disks arranged to move in and out of register with theirapertures, the day-disk being less in diameter than its apertureswhereby when it registers with its apertures an annulus of sunlightsurrounds it, substantially as set forth.

4. In a railway-signal, the combination of a plate provided with twoapertures, one for a day-signal and one fora night-signal, a daysignaldisk and two night-signal disks pivotally mounted behind the plate, theday-signal disk being arranged to move in and out of register with itsaperture and the night signal disks being arranged to move in and out ofregister with their aperture alternately, substantially as set forth.

5. In a railway-signal, the combination of a casing provided with tworegistering apertures in front and back for a day-signal, and anaperture in front for a night-signal, a daysignal disk arranged to movein and out of register with its apertures and two night-signal disksarranged to move alternately in and out of register with their aperture,substan tially as set forth.

6. In a railway-signal, the combination of a plate provided with twoapertures, one for a day-signal and one for a night-signal, a

danger day-signal disk and two night-signal disks, one a danger-disk andthe other a safety-disk, pivotally mounted behind the plate, theday-signal disk being arranged to move in and out of register with itsaperture and the night-signal disks being arranged to move in and out ofregister with their aperture alternately, substantially as set forth.

7. In a railway-signal, the combination of a casin g provided with tworegistering apertures in front and back for a day-signal, and anaperture in front for a night-signal, a danger day-signal disk arrangedto move in and out of register with its apertures, and two night-signaldisks, one a danger-disk and the other a safety-disk, arranged to movealternately in and out of register with their aperture, substantially asset forth.

8. In a railway-signal, the combination of a casing provided with tworegistering apertures in front and back for a day-signal, and tworegistering apertures in front and back for a night-signal, a day-signaldisk arranged to move in and out of register with its apertures and twonight-signal disks arranged to move alternately in and out of registerwith their apertures, and a lantern mounted upon the back of the casingbehind the night-signal apertures, substantially as set forth.

9. The'combination with the case and an electromagnet having prolongatedpoles, of a V rotary plate E, armature E having wings e e, signal-disksS, R and G, all rigidly connected so as to move with said rotary plateand armature, and suitable supporting-brackets, substantially as setforth.

10. In a railway-signal, the combination of a plate provided with twoapertures, one for a day-signal and one for a night-signal, threesignal-disks pivotally mounted behind said plate so as to move in andout of register with the apertures, whereby two disks registerconjointly at both apertures at one time and the third disk registerswith one of the apertures at another time, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM P. HALL.

Witnesses:

H. MACBRIDE, HENRY D. WILLIAMS.

